Real Love
by InnerInstinct
Summary: Danny has just witnessed the Nasty Burger go up in flames, taking the lives of all of his loved ones. He's utterly alone... or is he? Takes place in TUE. Rated for dark themes and character death. One-shot


**Real Love**

**Summary-**

**Danny has just witnessed the Nasty Burger go up in flames, taking the lives of all of his loved ones. He's utterly alone... or is he? Takes place in TUE. Rated for dark themes and character death. One-shot**

**I recommend listening to Even In Death by Evanescence while you read. The story was inspired by this song, so you'll hear the lyrics and stuff hidden in the story here and there.**  
**Enjoy!**

***note- this is my first piece! Please spare me the flames.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom (I wish though :3)**

* * *

_Where are they... _

It was late at night. The moon had risen fully and thoroughly illuminated the small town known as Amity Park. Not that a ghost (or half ghost in his case) would have any trouble seeing in a moonless night. Danny Phantom wearily navigated his way through the skies.

His usually optimistic and energetic personality was absent, as would be expected when one has had much to carry on their shoulders. His normally bright, lively green eyes were a dull and pale, dark bags hanging beneath them, which were visible even in ghost form. Fatigue weighed his arms down, and he dragged them along as he flew. He looked more zombie than ghost, and really, he felt like one.

He descended on the remains of the once popular Nasty Burger. He stumbled a bit before finding his balance on the rubble. Before him stood a large statue made up of 5 stone figures.

A bulky man took up the entire farside...  
_Dad..._  
In front of him was a slim short haired woman...  
Mom...  
An intelligent sophisticated girl...  
_Jazz..._  
A teenage gothic girl...  
_Sam..._  
A geeky boy of the same age ...  
_Tucker..._  
There was even a statue for Mr. Lancer.

Danny reached out to the memorial, allowing to let his fingers wander over the cold stone. This was certainly not here... yesterday? Whether it had been a few hours or days, he didn't know. After all, right after... after the...

_Don't think about it._

_... _He had stared numbly in shock before racing to the ghost zone. He didn't know how long he was there for, but he knew it was long enough that he could barely fly straight afterwards. He had been searching for his loved ones there before he realized, how could one be a ghost if you weren't dead (the only exception being halfas, of course)?

So Danny returned to the human world, flying back to Fenton Works. It was eerily empty, devoid of any life. No sign that anyone had been there recently. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know where to go. And though it was the last place he wanted to be, he decided the only place left to be was the Nasty Burger.

And it was here he found the cold stone figures, engraved "gone, but not forgotten". Danny wouldn't have been surprised if it was put up by a certain multi-millionaire mayor... Wait...

Gone?

He retracted his hand so fast that one might think that he'd been burned. He turned away, unable to look at the figures anymore.

_No, no, nobody was gone. _

Then why are you still searching for them?

_There's no reason..._

You're standing in front of their memorial.

..._to believe that..._

You saw it yourself. They were right there at the explosion-

_NO!-_

Danny gasped and fell to his knees pulling at his hair. His thoughts were becoming incoherent, battling each other for dominance.

To be honest, he was... afraid. Afraid of losing his loved ones. They were the ones who kept him in line. They were his solid rock, his shoulders to cry on, friends to fall back on, his strength and weakness. Every promise he made was for them. They were his very _humanity. _

And he needed each one of them. He needed Mom and Dad for a parent's love. Jazz for a sibling's love. Tucker for a friend's love. But Sam... How could he have been so blind, so _clueless_! He loved Sam in a very different way. He needed her so badly. He couldn't love her more than he did. And to think it took _this_ for Danny to realize it.

So if he lost them, if they were gone... what could he do? Who would he be? He didn't know... He didn't want to find out. Not this way. The very idea of being so... _alone _terrified him. It filled him with an unbearable nothingness. He was no one. No one but a failed hero...

_But they're not gone. _

You couldn't save them.

...Danny let out a sob against his will...

_It wasn't real. _

You felt the heat of the blast, smelled the burnt aftermath.

...He was falling into the shards of his shattered heart and soul...

_-wasn't real-_

-they're gone-

"Danny."

He jolted when a hand squeezed his shoulder. He pulled his hands away from his head. His eyes slowly followed the hand, along the bare arm, all the way up to her face. Her face... Those beautiful amethyst eyes...

"...Sam?" Danny's whisper was almost inaudible.

She smiled and gently wiped his tear-streaked face with her hands. Danny's mind was still a tangled mess of thoughts.

"No need to cry, little bro."

Danny angled his head to the next voice.

"Jazz..." he said in a slightly clearer voice. She stood slightly behind Sam at her side.

"Hey! Don't forget me!"

"Tucker," Danny spoke with the hint of a smile. "You... You're here too!"

"And not just us," Jazz smiled and put her hands on her hips while Tuck stepped forward to pull Danny to his feet. A large hand clamped down on one shoulder while a light, feathery one took the other.

"Mom! Dad!" he beamed. A full smile took on his face. He couldn't believe this... could he?

_They're right in front of you, of course you can. _

No, how can that be?

_You can see them breathe! They're alive and well. _

And you saw them go up in flames.

Danny's smile slipped away. A crease appeared between his eyebrows and he took a small step back.

"You guys, are you really... I...I don't know... don't think that..." His words clumsily tumbled out. How do you tell someone you think they are dead or even... don't exist?

For a fraction of a second, no one smiled. An eerie silence filled the air. A something dark flashed in everyone's eyes. And then...

"But Danny, we're right _here. " _Sam said rather forcefully.

...it was gone. He decided not to say anything and just smile back.

_She said it herself. _

And you're probably insane.

_You can't feel hallucinations. _

How would you know?

_You can feel real people. You can see real people. _

These people are dead.

_You can touch real people. Real people respond to you. _

You're sick. You need to let them go.

_Do you WANT to never see them again?_

And then it was clear. Crystal clear. Finally, his thoughts thinned away into an organized, single stream. All previous doubt that he had was cancelled out, gone. It was almost as if he had known it all along. He was asking all the wrong questions. Who cared about any of that? It wasn't about what was real and what wasn't. Because really... did it even _matter_?

They were exactly what he needed. He needed their love and acceptance. He needed their support. If they ever left him... he wouldn't be able to handle it. Danny stiffened at the thought. They were here with him now, but how long would 'now' last? He had never thought about the day they would pass on.

"I... I want to stay with you... I won't ever go. Don't... please don't ever leave me!" he pleaded to them, feeling tears begin to form in his eyes. He didn't dare blink them away, afraid that if he even looked away for a moment, they would be gone.

He was surprised when they all shared a laugh, like they were sharing some kind of inside joke. How was this funny? He was being serious! He wouldn't let any one of them die.

Sam leaned close and cupped his face in her soft hands. The effect was instantaneous. Danny allowed himself to completely relax. He let his eyes close, listening to the words wash over him like music.

"Oh Danny..." she giggled, making him sound like a young child learning a lesson. She continued, everyone joining her in unison at the end in hushed whispers in his ear.

"People die..."

"_...but real love is forever."_

* * *

**o.o slightly creepy, hm?**

**Heh, anyways, I hoped you enjoyed it! **  
**Please, please, please write a review. **  
**Tell me about any mistakes I might've made (english is my worst class xD) and it would be awesome if you could tell me how I can improve! Remember this is my first story, so be cool bros. **  
**And there will be more stories I want to write up in the future, so stick around!**

**And I think that's it. Thanks for reading! Until next time... ;)**


End file.
